ABSTRACT
Acute aortic syndrome is an acute lesion of the aortic wall involving the aortic tunica media, with a potencial risk of severe complications. The aortic dissection is the main cause (80%), but other entities, such as the intramural hematoma (15%) and the penetrating aortic ulcer (5%), are a less frequent cause. A 49-year-old man, hypertensive, dyslipemic, and without drug treatment, was admitted in the emergency service due to a sudden pain in the mid-chest approximately 3 hr previously. No pain radiation or hemodynamic affectation were apparent. The symptoms were resistant to nitroglycerin and morphine. The chest X rays, electrocardiograms and cardiac enzymes were normal. A computed tomographic angiography was taken because an acute aortic symdrome was suspected (figure 1A). It showed a sacular formation compatible with an aortic ulcer in the left contour of the aortic arch, and situated one-half cm beyond the left subclavian artery and above a zone of parietal calcification. The acute symtomatic penetrating aortic ulcer syndrome carries an equal or greater risk than the typical dissection; therefore invasive treatment was recommended. Because of the potential risk of severe complications and unpredictable prognosis, a self-expanding endoluminal prosthesis (stent graft), Relay 30 x 100 mm, was implanted for femoral artery access with satisfactory results (figure 1B and 1C).
Subject(s)
Aorta, Thoracic/pathology , Aortic Diseases/pathology , Ulcer/pathology , Aortic Diseases/diagnosis , Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Stents , Tomography, X-Ray Computed , Tunica Media/pathology , Ulcer/diagnosisABSTRACT
El síndrome aórtico agudo constituye un proceso agudo de la pared aórtica que debilita la capa media, condicionando un riesgo potencial de complicaciones graves. En la mayoría de los casos se debe a una disección de aorta (80 por ciento), pero existen otras dos entidades que con menor frecuencia lo condicionan, como el hematoma intramural (15 por ciento) y la úlcera aterosclerótica penetrada (5 por ciento) (1,2). Se presenta el caso de un varón de 49 años, fumador, hipertenso y dislipémico no controlado farmacológicamente, que acude al servicio de urgencias refiriendo un dolor en el centro del tórax de inicio súbito, intenso y no irradiado, de tres horas de evolución. No presentaba compromiso hemodinámico y el dolor no se aliviaba con nitroglicerina ni morfina. Los electrocardiogramas seriados, la radiografía de tórax, así como las enzimas cardiacas, no mostraron alteración alguna. Ante la sospecha clínica de un síndrome aórtico agudo. se realizó un angio-TC (figura 1A) que evidenció en el contorno izquierdo del cayado aórtico, medio centímetro después de la salida de la arteria subclavia izquierda, una formación sacular abollonada, sobre una zona de calcificaciones parietales, compatible con una úlcera aórtica aterosclerótica.
